Rangers reflect on playing with and against Manny Ramirez: 'He was a great example to me as a young guy'

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Few Rangers can say they shared a clubhouse with the organization's newest signing, Manny Ramirez. David Murphy is one of them.

Murphy was the Red Sox's first-round pick in 2003, and was called up to the major leagues in 2006. He spent 23 games with Ramirez and the Red Sox over the course of the 2006 and 2007 seasons before being traded to the Rangers.

According to Murphy, Ramirez was on the disabled list most of that time, but he still made his mark.

"I've always been a big Manny fan on and off the field," Murphy said. "I feel like he got more credit for his antics and maybe the crazy things he did from time to time rather than how great of a hitter he was and how hard he worked. When I saw him, he worked very hard in the cage, worked very hard in the weight room. He was a great example to me as a young guy coming up."

A.J. Pierzynski played almost the same amount of time with Ramirez (24 games), after the White Sox claimed the outfielder off waivers in 2010.

"We only had him for a month but he didn't cause any problems when we had him," Pierzynski said. "He showed up every day, got his work in, did what he needed to do. It was never a problem when he was with us at all. I know he had to cut his hair at one point. That wasn't a big deal, at least to the players anyway."

According to general manager Jon Daniels, Ramirez has agreed to cut his hair to comply with the organization's minor league standard of appearance policy.

With both Ramirez and Pierzynski spending the majority of their time in the American League, they've been on the opposite multiple times. It was never easy for Pierzynski to find a way to get Ramirez out.

"He's always a tough out because he can work the count," Pierzynski said. "You know he can hit a ball out to right, out to center, out to left. If you made a mistake he didn't miss it.